Rachel Bertram, PhD
Dr Rachel Bertram, a social impact and evaluation specialist, and a recognised thought leader in values-led impact design and measurement. Rachel brings over a decade of experience in governance, impact planning, and facilitation across the not-for-profit, academic, and community sectors. Her contribution has been recognised with the Mark Lyons Scholarship, a Research Excellence Scholarship, and a Certificate of Commendation from the Order of Australia Association
Rachel’s current research focuses on institutional responses to gender-based violence, particularly the role of bystanders in shaping victim-survivor outcomes. Her PhD research explored how ecological and spiritual knowledge systems can inform how we define and measure success, from thriving communities to personal wellbeing. Her work examines evaluation not just as a technical exercise, but as a relational and meaning-making practice, deeply aligned with First Nations knowledge, relational leadership, and systems change.
She is a co-founder of The Social Impact Toolbox, an innovative project designed to democratise access to evaluation tools and education, supporting organisations to design, deliver, and articulate meaningful social change. Rachel is known for her clear, values-driven communication style, and her deep commitment to helping communities and organisations understand not only how they work, but why they work.
She has led multiple grant-funded projects focused on evaluation capacity building and institutional response to gender-based violence. As a university lecturer within both business and cultural domains, she has the ability to bridge creative thinking with rigour and reflection.